Elemental Guardian
by Rune Triphesas
Summary: A new Guardian to protect the world, unlike the four Sovereigns, this one draws his strength from the elements in the Digiworld.
1. Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

First off, I know it's a little late to be doing a Digimon 01 fic, but who the hell cares?  The idea for this just hit me a little while ago, so now I'm writing it.

"Text" is normal speech

Text is my thoughts

Text is Strikemon's thoughts

You'll understand later.

I was almost at the end of a hiking trail, when it began to snow

 "What the hell is going on?" I muttered.  "For one, this is Hawaii, for another its summer!  The weather really _is messed up.  Oh well… may as well finish my hike…"_

When I reached the end a few minutes later, I looked at the sky, and saw a spiral of rainbow colored light.

"What the heck is that?" I said, and almost as if in reply, the spiral flashed once, and I saw a small beam of light streak down from it.  The beam hit the ground a few feet from me, and disappeared.  I walked over to where it hit, and found something that resembled a gauntlet (think Ryo from Tamers and put retractable blades on the sides).  I then picked it up, and slid it onto my right arm.

The next thing I knew, it was like the whole world exploded or something, I found myself falling down an endless tunnel, and all I could see were lights of every color flashing around me.

_Some time later_

I came to in a forest right by a river by a cliff.

"Urgh……my head…..what the hell happened?" I groaned, and as I got up, my wings opened.  Wait a second…….WINGS!?  I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, there were two large black wings (A/N: sorry for the bad desc, but they are _dragon wings, not bat wings, not bird wings, __dragon wings…) growing from my back, but other than that, my body seemed normal._

First off, where the hell am I…second, what happened? I thought.

You're in the Digital World and I can't really answer the second question

"What the….?  Who's there!?" I yelled spinning around.

The name's Strikemon, and I am your partner.

"Okay…that answered my question, but where are you?  And what did you mean when you said that you are my partner?"

In your head I think.  And by partner, I mean exactly that.

"In my head?  I guess I can live with that." I said.  "So, what exactly are you?"

I'm a Digimon.  It's short for digital monster.

Any idea why I have these wings?

It may be because I'm stuck in here.  At least that makes sense to me.

I guess.

I then heard a screeching noise on top of the cliff, and I looked up just in time to see part of the cliff come crashing down.

Hey Strikemon, is it just me or were there people and digimon caught in that too?

Its not just you.  I saw them as well.

"Damn…"

I ran toward where I saw them falling, and saw them floating down the river a couple hundred feet further down.  I then ran over to where I saw a fish raft coming to shore.  I got there a few minutes after I saw them get off, and hid myself behind some trees and followed them for a while.

"Are there humans?" Tai asked.

"Humans? Others like you?" Agumon replied.

"Mmm hmmm"

"You're the first ever.  There's never been anything but digimon."

"That's not quite true." I said, stepping out of the shadows behind them.  "There is at least one other human here."

"Who are you?" Tai asked.

"The name's Ryu.  And you are…?"

"I'm Tai, he's Matt, that's Izzy, Sora, Joe, T.K., and Mimi."

"Not to mention Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, Biyomon, Gomamon, Patamon, and Palmon." I put in.  "I overheard you earlier."

That wasn't a complete lie, Strikemon had told me who the digimon were when I got there, but I had also overheard them talking about the digimon "digivolving", and had heard the names of the digimon then.  I also had Strikemon explain "digivolving" to me as well.

"So, what are you planning on doing from here?" I asked.

"I saw the ocean over there, and there may be a boat or something."

"I'll catch up with you guys later.  I left my stuff behind when I was following you."  I said.

"Yeah, alright."  Tai said, and he and the others turned and headed for the beach.

When they were out of my line of sight, I opened my wings, and flew back to where I had left all my stuff, landed, and walked over to the tree that I had propped my bag up against.

WATCH OUT! Strikemon yelled.

I flew into the air, and a split second later, a blade impaled itself in the ground where I had been standing a moment before.

Strikemon, what is that thing!?

That's Snimon.  Watch out for his blades and Twin Sickle attack, or you'll be left in pieces.

I tried to dodge a slash of its claws, and felt it land a glancing blow on my left arm.

What did I do to get him in such a bad mood!?  I asked, dodging another slash.

Dammit…this is getting us nowhere!  I'm going to try attacking him!  I said, opening up the foot-long blades on the gauntlet.

I dodged another slash, and saw an opening, so I darted in under its left arm, and slashed across its left side.

…and got cut across my right arm as it spun around and slashed again.

"Twin Sickle!"  Snimon sent two energy waves at me, and I tried to dodge it, but I was too close, so I was hit full on, and was sent crashing to the ground.

I forced myself to my knees, and without really thinking, I cried out "Flare Strike!"

 My right arm was engulfed in fire, and I fired several fireballs into Snimon's face.  It seemed stunned for a second, and there were some faint scorch marks on its head.

"Twin Sickle!"

I managed to dodge one blast this time, but got hit by the other one, and went down again.  When I looked up, I saw Snimon's blade coming straight for my chest, and this time it wouldn't miss.

Ok, so tell me what ya think of this fic.  I'll try to update again as soon as I can, 


	2. Digivolution

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

            Strikemon digivolve to……

            Wha….?

Blazemon!

            I felt a sudden surge of strength, and threw myself to the side, as the blade missed me by a few inches, and embedded itself in the ground.

            When I stood up, I noticed a very big change…literally.  I was now looking at Snimon eye to eye, when before I was much smaller than it was.  A quick check over the rest of my body showed a few other changes as well.  I had a tail, flame-red armor, claws, and my skin was flame red and felt leathery.  I reached up and felt my forehead, and found that there was a flame shaped crest there.  

            In that time, Snimon had freed its claw, and turned to face me again.  "Twin Sickle!"

            My arms were both engulfed in flame, and I brought then together.  "Blaze Wall!"  The flames shot forward, formed a wall between me and Snimon, and destroyed the Twin Sickle attack

            I rushed forward, and lashed out with a clawed foot, catching it across its torso, and opening up another two wounds.

            It slashed at me, but I dodged it, and grabbed its arm.

            "What's wrong?  Too strong for you?" I growled.

            I threw it into the ground, stomped its back, and jumped away.   

            "Nova Barrage!"  My whole body was engulfed in flames, and I fired several large fireballs which hit Snimon all over its body, and it collapsed.

            Is it over?

            Looks like it.                               

            I walked over to Snimon, and nudged him a few times with my foot, and he didn't move.

            It's over.  He won't be moving for a while…

            My body glowed for a moment, and the next thing I knew, I was back to "normal".  (Still with my wings of course)

            Tell me something Strikemon…

            Sure.  What?

            What just happened?

            I digivolved somehow, and the changes were reflected to your body.

            Cool…The others are going to be freaked though….

            It's possible….

            I walked over to where my bag was, and saw that it had survived the fight.  I then picked it up, and while doing so, noticed a small change as a result of the fight.  I was still wearing the armor, except like the rest of me, it had shrunk quite a bit, and it was now black instead of red.

            It's probably time for me to go meet up with the others.

            I opened my wings, and flew into the air.  When I got close to the beach, I saw two digimon battling, so I landed in the forest, and ran to the top of a small cliff overlooking the beach.

            That's Greymon, and the other one is Shellmon.

            I reached the top just in time to see Greymon hurl Shellmon far over the water and hit it with a Nova Blast, which sent it _really far.  Then Greymon shrunk down and turned into Agumon._

            I stayed up on the cliff for a while, just listening to their conversations, watching the digimon eat all the food…and watched Joe try to use a destroyed phone.

            I can't believe that Joe is still trying to use those phones…..

            The reply was a snort of laughter from Strikemon.

            "Shellmon wasn't destroyed.  He was just temporarily removed.  We should pack up and leave before he decides to come back for round two."  Izzy said.

"Good idea."  Matt said.

"In that case, we should go right back to the forest.  Because if anybody's looking for us, that's the place they'll go!"  Joe said.

I'm surprised that he still thinks that he's on Earth.  There aren't any digimon where we came from…

Maybe he's one of those who just can't handle change.

"Now listen.  Logically speaking, if there are telephones here, then there must be people to use them.  So, I think it makes good sense to try and find those people." Izzy said.

"That makes sense?" Joe asked.

"It certainly does." Sora responded.

"Maybe we should ask Ryu if he knows anything about it when he gets here." Tai said.

"No idea.  I've been here just as long as you have.  Couldn't have been more then half an hour before I saw all of you fall off that cliff." I said, standing up.

I then jumped off of the cliff, and opened my wings just enough to slow my fall, and landed in front of them with almost no impact, and burst out laughing at the startled expressions on their faces.

"What?" I asked when I felt them staring.  "Oh…right….the wings……I'll explain later.  We should leave before Shellmon recovers."


	3. Garurumon

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.  Ryu, Strikemon and all of Strikemon's digivolutions are mine though.

"Hey… Are those real?"  Tai asked as he walked up to me.

"Ye….HEY!!  OW!!"  He had just pulled on my right wing.

I knocked his hands away from my wing.  "Could you please NOT pull on my wings!?"

"Hey, wait a minute.  You said that you were human, and humans definitely do not have wings," Joe said.

"Look, I don't know for sure what happened to me, but I'll explain what I do know as we go.  Besides, I don't know about you people, but I don't have the energy to fight that thing if it comes back."

"He's right guys.  We should probably get going," Tai said

We headed into the forest again, and I began telling my story.

I told them about seeing the strange light, finding the gauntlet, being pulled into the digital world, waking up with wings, Strikemon, seeing them fall, the battle with Snimon, and seeing their battle with Shellmon.  I also dispelled their doubts about me making it up by answering several questions that only a human would know, and proved the truth of my digimon side by using my Flare Strike to blast a rock apart.  The only interruption was when we got caught between two Monochromon in the middle of a territorial battle.

Strikemon, what's up with this forest?

No idea.  I've never been able to figure this place out, but those signs are strange.

"I don't walk this much unless I'm at a mall.  And as you can see, we're nowhere near one!"  Mimi whined.

"Mimi, do you think you can stop complaining for just ten minutes?  Even Joe stopped complaining a while ago!"  I said.

"No, my feet hurt!"

"I'm going to take a look around and see if I can spot a place to set up camp tonight.  Be back in a few minutes."  I said.

I opened my wings, and flew into the air.  At least it's quiet up here…let me know if you spot anything promising.

In that case, look to your right.

"Huh?  Oh!  A lake!  That'll be perfect!"

I flew back, spotted them a little ways off from where I left them, and landed in front of them.

"There's a lake over that way, and it looks like a great place to spend the night."

"Maybe I can finally soak my poor, achy feet."

"Don't you ever think of anything but yourself?  Never mind…I don't think I want an answer to that…"

"Let's just keep walking, and stop complaining.  So, Ryu, how far is the lake?"

"About 15 minutes from here, and it seems that there will be enough food there for a pretty good meal."

About ten minutes later, we reached the lake.  I guess being hungry gave them an added incentive to move faster…

"It should be safe to stay here tonight," Biyomon said.

"If I won't walk in dirt, what makes you think I'll sleep in it?"

"Would you prefer I stick you up a tree?" I asked sarcastically.

Ryu, what's that?

What's what?

Behind you.

I turned around, and saw a trolley car sitting on the beach, and as I saw it, its lights came on.

"Well Mimi, it seems that you got your wish."

"Huh?"

"Over there," I said, pointing to the trolley.

"Hey, maybe there are some people there," Sora said.

"Let's check it out!" Tai said, and we all ran (or in my case, flew) to the trolley.

I made it before any of them, and went inside.

"Empty…but at least its comfortable." I muttered as I sat down.

I heard the others come I behind me.

"Bummer, it's empty," Tai said as he walked in.

"Yep."

"No trolley car's this clean," Izzy said.

"Oh goodie, these cushions are comfy!"  Mimi said, plopping down on a seat by the entrance.

"Something's wrong. Remember those weird phone booths we saw on the beach? Something just as freaky could happen here," Tai said.

"Yeah, like this suddenly moving all by itself," Joe agreed.

"Possibly, but then again, maybe that's how we're going to get home," Tai said.

"So we have nothing to lose by staying here," Sora said.

"Would it really be so bad to stay in the Digital World?" I asked.  "Oh…don't mind me.  Just thinking out loud."

"Can we eat now?" Tentomon asked.

_Five minutes later_

Firewood…why do I have to be the one to get the firewood…?

It's not too bad.  At least you're not stuck fishing…

I guess.

_Ten minutes later_

"Hey guys, I got the firewood."

"Good, can you help us set up the fire?"

We arranged some rocks and the sticks, and soon had everything but the fire.

"We're all set to cook dinner.  Now all we need is the grub!"  Matt said.

"Great, but how are we supposed to light the fire?"

"Like this!"  Agumon and I both tossed some flames in and lit the fire.

Izzy and T.K. ran up to us carrying several fish.

"Hey lookit!"

"We caught a bunch of fish!"

"Awesome, Izzy, let's eat 'em!"

"Thanks squirt," Matt said when he took a fish from T.K.

"Hey Izzy, give me a few of those."  I flipped out the blades on my gauntlet, stuck a couple of the fish on, and lit up my hand.  "These should be done in a minute."

Between me, Tai and Matt, we managed to cook all the fish in about ten minutes.  Almost as soon as we finished, everyone else came up loaded with fruit.

"Well everyone, dig in!"  I said, skewering one of the fish on my blade.  "So, what do you guys think of the food?"

"This is surprisingly good!"  Tentomon said.

"Delicious!" Izzy said.

"Matt, Mom only lets me eat fish sticks."

"I won't tell."

"I never eat with my fingers."

"T.K., it's alright!"

"Well, it's either that or go hungry.  I don't think anyone brought any utensils."

I finished eating, went to the shore, and washed the blades.

Well, I guess this proves that we're not on Earth anymore…. I can't see any of the constellations.

I headed back to the others, and heard Izzy talking about us standing guard.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"  Joe asked.

"I'll do it."  I still felt wide awake, so it made sense to let them get some sleep first.  "I'll get whoever's next after about an hour."

"Not T.K."  Matt said.

"Aww, come on, me too, Matt."

"No, you're too young and you need your rest!"

"I'm getting cold.  I need a warm blanket to help me sleep."

Man, talk about a pampered life…  I get the feeling she's never been out of a city before.

"Hey Gabumon! Watch it, Mimi may sneak up on you and steal your fur! So if you feel a little tug, it might be her about to cut your tail off!"  Tai said.

"Stop, Tai!  It's not funny!"

Tai can really be an idiot sometimes…

"Gabumon told you to stop!  So knock it off!"

"Hey, you can't tell me what to do!"

"Flare Strike!"  I sent a blast directly between them, interrupting their fight.  "Why don't the two of you calm down?  We're who knows where, we don't know how to get back, and the last thing we need is for the two of you to be pounding each other into the ground!"

They turned away from each other with a huff.

"You'd both make great guards.  Who goes first?" Joe asked.

"I will!"

"I'm next!"

"How about Izzy takes over after that and then I finish up the night?"

"Fine.  Tai, I'll wake you when my hour is up.  You all should probably go and get some sleep."

They all went into the trolley, and I assume went to sleep.

I formed a small fireball in my hand, and tossed it into the water, and watched a small cloud of steam rise.

 "Huh?"  I  jumped up and spun around.  "Oh, Matt.  What's up?  Couldn't sleep or something?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with you and T.K.?"

"We're half brothers, and I don't see him very often."

"You know, that explains a lot."

He turned and walked down the shore.

"Hey Matt!"

"What?"

"Get some sleep.  Your shift's coming up pretty soon."

"Yeah, yeah."

"…whatever"

I turned back to the fire, and a couple minutes later, Gabumon ran past me.

What's that noise?

Matt's over there, and it's coming from him.

Oh… at least he plays it well.

I tossed in a couple more sticks in the fire, and jumped when it cracked and spat out a few embers.  A few seconds later, the ground quaked, and knocked me off my feet.

"Wha…?"

A dragon's head broke the surface of the water in front of me.

"What is that thing!?"

Seadramon.  He's a Sea Dragon digimon, and his Ice Blast attack will freeze his foes solid!

"We're going to get eaten for sure!"

"Not if I can help it…" I muttered.

"Hold tight! We're going for a ride!" Agumon cried.

"It's like we're on a monster longboard!"

"He's pulling us along by his tail.  I don't even think he realizes we're here."  Trust Izzy to be the only calm one here…

"Perhaps not.  He's a bit dense.  As long as he doesn't see us, we should be fine."

"He may not see us, but he can probably _hear_ all of you!"  I hissed at them.

Seadramon pulled his tail away from the shore.

"Oh boy…here we go.  Everyone, get ready in case he attacks!"

"Right!"  the digimon chorused.

Seadramon whipped the island with his tail, and knocked everyone off their feet.

"Flare Strike!"  My arms lit up, and I threw four or five fireballs at Seadramon, but he didn't seem to be affected by the flames.

Seadramon dove underwater and rammed the island, sending it shooting toward the shore.

"Ryu! Why'd you have to go and tick him off!?"

"Damn it, Tai…it worked last time.  How was I supposed to know he wouldn't feel it!?"

The island suddenly stopped in the middle of the lake.

"Great, he left us in the middle of the lake," Tai said.

"I don't suppose we could trick him into taking us back…"

"That's wishful thinking…"

"Here he comes!" Tai yelled.

"Everyone, NOW!" I yelled.  "Flare Strike!"

"Spiral Twister!"

"Boom Bubble!"

Our attacks hit, but like the last time, Seadramon barely seemed to feel the attacks.

"Poison Ivy!"

Palmon's vines couldn't reach Seadramon's head.

"Super Shocker!"

"Pepper Breath!"

"This is getting us nowhere…" I muttered.  "He's not feeling any of this!"

Do you know if Seadramon has any weak spots?...wait a second...That's it!

What?

Even something that big will notice if you hit its eye, right?

I shot into the air and flew level to Seadramon's head.

"Flare Strike!"  I threw five more fireballs at Seadramon, and two of them impacted directly on its eye, and he roared in pain.

            Watch out!

            "Urgh!" Seadramon nailed me with the side of his head, and knocked me out of the air.  I hit the ground, and everything went black.

            _Strikemon's__ POV_

            Ryu, wake up.

Ryu?

Come on Ryu!

Now's not a good time to be napping!

I opened my eyes and sat up.  Wait…I can move?

"Hey Ryu, are you alright?"

I looked over at Tai.  "Not really.  He's still unconscious."

"Wha…?"

"This is not good! Seadramon may be a bubble brain, but once he finds his prey, he won't let go!"  Tentomon said interrupting us.

"Matt, hang on! Patamon, please help him! Hit him with a Bubble Boom!"

"Seadramon's way too big, I just don't have enough power now. Gabumon, you're stronger, how about you?"

"You're right. Matt is in trouble, and I must help!"

"I'll do what I can as well," I said opening my wings.  "I'll try to distract him, and you get Matt free."

I flew into the air, and began a Flare Strike, but instead of firing several blasts, I focused all of the flames into one large ball.  "Flare Strike!"  I fired the blast, and hit Seadramon just below his eye, stunning him for a second.

"Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"

Urgh…

I darted back to avoid Seadramon's attack, and landed on the island.

Welcome back.  How do you feel?

Like I got hit by a truck…Huh?  Why can't I move?

Sorry.  I pushed his mind to the front, and turned control back over to him.

_Ryu's__ POV_

Well that was strange.  The last thing I remember was being hit by Seadramon, and when I wake up, I find that Strikemon has control of my body!

I heard growling coming from the water, and when I looked up, I saw Seadramon fighting a huge blue wolf!

Is that Matt?

Yes.

That's all I needed to know.

I flew out over the water, grabbed Matt, and flew us back to the island.

"Are you alright Matt?"  T.K. asked.

"Yeah, but where's Gabumon?"

Garurumon and Seadramon surfaced, and Garurumon whipped Seadramon in the face with his tail, and Seadramon reared back in pain.

"Garurumon's fur is legendary. It's strong as steel. He's like a growling torpedo".  Tentomon said.

"That's astonishing. Then he must be invincible."

Tell them that it's mostly true.

"Strikemon says that he's slightly less than invincible."

…

What?

Seadramon fired a blast at Garurumon, and began freezing both the lake and Garurumon.

"Seadramon's using his lethal Ice Blast!"

"Howling Blaster!"  The energy wave hit Seadramon in the head, and he fell backward into the lake.

"Alright!  He won!"

Garurumon dedigivolved back to Gabumon, and a couple minutes later, pulled himself up on to the shore.

"Hey Gabumon, those were some pretty nice moves back there," I said.  "But couldn't you have stayed as Garurumon long enough to get everyone back to shore?"

"No, sorry."

"No problem.  If need be, I can fly everyone back."

Gomamon was sitting back with a slightly smug expression on.

"Alright, what is it Gomamon."

"Just watch!"

He jumped into the water, and when he surfaced, he was surrounded by a school of fish.

"Fish power!"

The fish pushed the island back to shore.

"Gabumon?  May I use you as a pillow? I promise I won't take your fur."  Mimi asked.

"Actually, there seems to be a pattern here.  This time, only Gabumon could digivolve."  Izzy said.

"Yeah, Izzy's right.  Agumon was the only one who could do it before," Sora said.

"You're right.  It's all beginning to make sense. Agumon digvolved when I was in danger," Tai said after a moment.

"That has to be the answer. Our digimon digivolves when we're in trouble," Izzy said.

*Flashback*

Snimon's blade is heading straight for my chest.

Strikemon digivolve to….

Wha?

Blazemon!

*End flashback*

"Strikemon did the same thing for me, digivolving when I needed help the most."

Mimi fell back against Sora, and started snoring.

"Hey!  Watch it!"

"Is it time to go to the mall?"  Mimi mumbled.

"We've been here one day, and I think she's put some muscle on her."

"Yeah, maybe if she puts in some effort, she'll become a hard-bodied machine like I am," Agumon said.

"I hope she grows pink wings just like my wings."

Personally, I hope she doesn't…

zzzzzzzzz…

Probably a good idea…

I leaned up against a tree, folded my wings around my body, and drifted off to sleep.

Okay, sorry it took so long, but my computer's been really glitchy recently.  My internet's down, and the computer itself is barely working.  Okay, sorry for that, I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear about my problems…

Tell me what you think of this chapter, and I'll try to get chapter four up within a couple weeks (I hope).


	4. Dreams

Disclaimer: Ryu and Strikemon are mine, I do not own Digimon in any way, shape or form. "text" this is Ryu and Strikemon saying something at the same time.  
  
I awoke to hear what sounded like two people talking, but I didn't recognize either of the voices. "Are you sure this is a good idea, contacting him so soon?" "He deserves to know his purpose and why he was brought to this world. Besides, just look at him. Born with two seals, and his partner created with another. He already has three of the eight. Would you prefer that he did not know his mission?" "I did not say that we should not tell him. I said that this may be too soon." I opened one of my eyes, and froze in sheer disbelief. In the air above me were two massive digimon. One looked like a phoenix, and the other was a huge blue Eastern-style dragon. "He's awake," the dragon said. Then, turning toward me, "Greetings young one." St-St-Strikemon...? Some help here? I felt him stir and wake up in my mind. What is it Ryu? he asked sleepily, and then I felt him come instantly alert. It's...it's...two of the Sovereign digimon! Two of the what? The four Sovereign digimon watch over and protect the digital world. Those two are Azulongmon and Zhuqiaomon! "Congratulations Azulongmon, it seems that you have just officially scared him out of his wits." Zhuqiaomon said with a chuckle. Now that I knew that they weren't out to try to kill me (unlike almost every other digimon I had seen so far), I started to get some of my nerve back, and I got to my feet. "I'll assume that you were talking about me a minute ago. What is there that you wanted to tell me? Something about my mission?" I asked. The two Sovereign digimon exchanged amused looks, and I heard Zhuqiaomon mutter, "Alright...so he got his wits back in a hurry..." "That is correct. You are the one who was prophesized to be the final guardian of the digital world. Zhuqiaomon and I, along with the other two watch over the digital world and protect it as well as we can. However, during times when the Darkness is especially strong, our powers wane with the decline of Light. Your strength however, is based the elements found in the digital world, as well as a combination of both the light and the dark, and as such, in time you may be the most powerful force in the digital world," Azulongmon said. "Always speaking in terms no one will understand... Ryu, your strength will increase with each Seal that you find and bind to you. Somehow, you were born with both Light and Dark within you, and Strikemon was created bonded to the Fire seal. You must find the Seals for Water, Air, Earth, Ice, Lightning, Metal and Wood before you can reach your highest level of power. However, even with just the three that you currently are bonded with, you will be capable of unleashing incredible power...once you learn to tap into the strength that is available to you."  
"So basically, you want me to find these Seals, bind their power to me, and then what?" I asked.  
"You will have the opportunity to return to your world, or you may remain here, in the digital world and work with us to protect it from the Darkness."  
"Okay...maybe this is a bit of a stupid question, but how exactly am I supposed to find these Seals?" I asked.  
"You have abilities that even you are unaware of. When they awaken you will know the answer," Azulongmon said. "I can unlock the first of your abilities for you, but after this, you must find the others on your own."  
"Fine. If it'll help then I'm all for it." I said.  
A glow appeared around me, and slowly increased I intensity until it was all that I could see, and then it suddenly vanished.  
"There. I have done all I can to help you now. You must continue your mission on your own. Good luck" Azulongmon said, and vanished.  
"One last thing," Zhuqiaomon said. "Do not tell the others about this meeting or your mission until either Azulongmon or I tell you to. Is that clear?"  
"Errr...yes." I said.  
"Good. Good luck human," Zhuqiaomon said, and he vanished as well.  
No sooner had Zhuqiaomon disappeared when I felt a sudden chill sweep through me. I flew into the air, and looked around. In the distance, I saw what appeared to be a black spherical object with many claws around it (A/N: sorry for the bad description, but its supposed to be Apokarimon), and I had a bad feeling that it knew that I was there. I flew toward the object and was surprised to see one of its claws change shape and point at me.  
"River of Power!" A thick stream of energy ripped through the air, and I tried frantically to avoid it. As it was, the beam just missed me, but the shockwave from the blast sent me flipping head over heels before I could orient myself.  
I'm gonna try to attack him. Strikemon, can you try to digivolve again?  
I've been trying!  
Grrrrrrrrrr....here goes nothing! "Flare Strike!" I fired a few fireballs from my right arm, but they didn't even seem to touch the digimon, and it responded by firing another "River of Power", which I just barely avoided again.  
I can't take this guy! Any ideas? A third River of Power clipped my left wing, and I just barely managed to stay in the air.  
In the back of my mind, I felt something come loose, and in an instant, I knew what to do.  
"As two became one, now let one become two!" Strikemon and I chorused.  
My body started to glow, and I saw an identical glow from the air to my right. The glows faded, and to my right, there was a humanoid dragon hovering in the air. It was about 4 feet tall, with a tri-horned crest on its head, completely black in color, except for its silver eyes, and it seemed very familiar.  
It twisted its long neck to face me, "Hey Ryu, lets try to take this guy. I think I can digivolve again," it said, and then it blinked. "I have my body again?"  
"Strikemon?" For some reason, seeing him in the air next to me seemed to jar something else loose, and I discovered my third ability. I focused on Strikemon's form, and a few moments later, there were two dragons hovering side by side.  
"Hey Ryu, nice look. Let's try to take this guy again."  
I nodded. "Ready?"  
"Go!" "Strikemon digivolve to...."  
"Ryu digivolve to...."  
"Blazemon!" we chorused.  
Unlike the last time I digivolved, this time, I was in a full digimon form, so I got to see Strikemon's true digivolution. We were both still somewhat humanoid, covered in flame red scales, and stood about 20 feet tall. We shot forward, and began channeling flames for our Nova Barrage attack.  
"Nova Barrage!"  
"Nova Barrage!"  
About 20-30 large fireballs were released from the two attacks, and they all hit the strange digimon in about the same area.  
"What!?" I yelled.  
"No way!" Blazemon wasn't too far behind me.  
That digimon didn't even seem to feel the force behind those attacks.  
Another one of its claws changed shape, this time into a twin cannon. "Giga Cannon!" The attack released several huge energy bursts, and they all hit Blazemon and me before we could react. I was dimly aware of hitting the ground hard, before everything went black.  
  
I gasped and jerked to my feet, breathing heavily. "A...dream? But it seemed so...real..." I gasped.  
NO!!! Strikemon came to just a few moments after me. What? I thought I had been deleted! Where are we?  
Back at the lake with the others it seems. Did you have the same dream I did? Azulongmon, Zhuqiaomon, and some strange digimon that killed you? I also remember seeing your true form...  
It wasn't a dream. I don't know how it happened, but I'm sure it was no dream.  
This is beyond weird...  
  
Yeah, I know I added in metal and wood, but I was basing it on Japanese element system (I remembered everything other than metal and wood...See? Frontier does help a bit.) 


	5. That's One Seal!

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon. Ryu, Strikemon and all of Strikemon's digivolutions are mine though.  
  
Hmmm...I wonder...was that only a dream? It seemed far too real for just that...I looked down at my digimon/human body. I wonder...if I could shift my form from hybrid to digimon...maybe...I concentrated on my human body, and seconds later, the wings had disappeared, and I was back to normal.  
Hey! It worked! I guess it wasn't a dream after all.  
Great! Err...Ryu...do you think we could try to split and see if it works too?  
"As two became one, now let one become two!"  
"..."  
So much for that...  
I shifted uncomfortably, only one day with wings, and I already missed them. I wonder if I can use the morphing ability to partially transform...I focused on a hybrid form that was slightly different from before, and felt the changes begin.  
My torso remained completely human, except for the wings, but from my waist down, my body had completely transformed. My legs were now completely covered in scales, and I was balanced on the three talons that had replaced my toes. (A/N: Or in plain English, he's dragon from the waist down. What can I say? I really like the myrrimidon from BoF3 ^_^;)  
I flew into the air, then dove into the water, and when I heard them waking up, I shot out of the water, and judging by their yells, gave them a bit of a soaking.  
It took a little while for me to explain what happened, at least as far as my new looks were concerned, but after eating breakfast, which consisted of some fruit from the nearby trees, we left.  
  
About an hour later, they were back in the forest, and I was in the air just above the tops of the trees, and keeping an eye out for any other digimon. The others had just entered the "forest of pointless road signs" when I felt a chill.  
"What the hell!?" I spun around in the air, and saw what looked like a black gear flying toward me, and I was sure that it was the source of the feeling. As it flew by, I dove under it, and... "Flare Strike!"  
It wobbled a little, but stabilized and flew away before I could get another shot off.  
I landed behind the others, and heard them discussing the gear. A few seconds later, Sora noticed that I was there, and started directing questions my way.  
"Hey Ryu, you probably got a better look at it then we did, what was that thing?"  
I sighed, "It looked like a black gear. Other than that, all I can say is that if it bodes well for us, then I'm a flaming Sovereign Digimon."  
Err...Ryu....remember?  
Huh? Oh, that's right...Azulongmon said we were, didn't he? Well...they don't know that, so the phrase works.  
"I'm going back up. See ya." I launched myself into the air and resumed flying.  
It's strange...I feel like something's drawing me toward the mountains.  
I can feel it too. Maybe it's one of the Seals that Azulongmon was talking about.  
About an hour later, I saw the forest ending, and a large desert ahead, and landed to let them know.  
"Hey Tai, you're coming up to a desert in about half an hour. Mind if I borrow the telescope for a minute?"  
"Why?" "Because I want to see if there's anything across the desert, and you are waaaaay too heavy to carry!" He handed the telescope over, and I flew back up, and scanned the desert. I thought I saw a village, but even with the telescope, it seemed tiny. I flew back down and returned the telescope. "So...what did you find?" Tai asked. "There's a village across the desert, and it seems to be our best option at the moment. I'll wait for you at the edge of the forest." I flew back into the air, and flew ahead of the group to the edge of the forest.  
  
They caught up with me fifteen minutes later, and no sooner had they stepped into the open, when I felt a chill again. "Oh, crap...." I looked up, and saw the gear again. "Flare Strike!" I fired another burst at it, but apparently, it was too far away to hit, and my attack dissipated before reaching the gear. The gear turned away from us, and crashed into a hill in the distance. We started across the desert, toward the village that I saw earlier. I led them toward the village, but completely ignored most of their conversation due to the fact that I was talking with Strikemon most of the way. Strikemon...do you know anything about those black gears? I've seen them before, if that's what you're asking. Anything else? Leomon said something about them putting digimon under an evil spell. Leomon? Sure, he's a pretty cool digimon. Very serious and almost always fighting with Ogremon. Those two go beyond the normal Virus/Vaccine battles. It's like they were born only to fight with each other. Sounds like a guy I could get along with. He said that the gears turn good digimon into evil digimon. Then Ogremon showed up and they started fighting again. Then I guess we should be careful...Hey! There's the village! I turned around. "Hey, gu-err...." I turned forward again, and saw the others halfway to the village. "...would it have killed them to tell me they were going?" I muttered, before opening my wings and flying to catch up. I saw the others enter the village, and flew slowly around the perimeter of the village, just to be sure that everything was okay. Call me paranoid if you want, but anything's better than being dead. I didn't see anything odd, so I landed in the village, and saw a large pillar of fire erupt from a well. Okay....that's definitely not normal.... I walked over to them and heard them discussing the "guardian" of the volcano, some digimon called Meramon. Let's see...I'm definitely getting the feeling that I'm being pulled, and it's coming from the volcano! I gasped as a sudden chill ran down my spine. I spun to look at one of the tiny Yokomon. "You said that Meramon is the guardian of that volcano over there right?" "Yes, he's the guardian of Mount Mihirashi. Why?" "I've got a really bad feeling. You should be prepared to evacuate soon." I turned to face Tai and the others. "You guys should stay here in case something happens. I'm going to check out the area again." I snapped my wings open, and flew toward Mount Mihirashi. A little more than halfway there, I saw Meramon come sliding down the mountain. "Burning...burning...burning...BURNING!!!" "Huh?" Err...Strikemon? Meramon is a fire type right? Yeah... So, he shouldn't be burning himself, right? Right. Then what's up? I have no idea...Watch out! I pulled up sharply and just barely managed to dodge Meramon's fireball. "As two became one, now let one become two!" My wrist blades snapped forward, and I slashed at Meramon's arm as I passed, leaving a (relatively) small wound behind. "Flare Strike!" Strikemon's attack hit just as I passed, but when I came around to attack again, Meramon seemed even bigger than before, and I halted my attack. "Hey, Strikemon? Is it just me, or did he get bigger!?" "Let's not do that again." "Agreed. Huh?" The feeling of being pulled came back stronger than ever, and was coming from Mount Mihirashi. "Strikemon, do you feel that?" "Yeah. Should we check it out?" "Definitely. Greymon and Garurumon should be able to handle Meramon easily." With that, we both took off for Mount Mihirashi.  
  
After a bit of searching, we managed to find a cave hidden behind a huge boulder. "Hey Ryu, how do we get in?" "Simple...three two one..." "Flare Strike!" "Flare Strike!" Our combined attacks managed to fracture the rock, but the pieces remained in place. "Dammit! Strikemon, lets give it another shot! Flare Strike!" The impact from our second attack was enough to crumble most of the boulder to dust, and we stepped into the cave. Lying on a small shelf cut out from the rock, were two glowing crystals. "Hey Strikemon take a look. There's two of them, one for each of us. How considerate." As we picked up the crystals, the glow gradually increased until it was so bright that I couldn't see anything. A few moments later, the glow faded, and I felt a rush of power running through me. "Hey Ryu, nice look." "Huh?" Looking down at myself, I saw that my body had changed. Growing from each knee was a single wicked looking blade, and my scales seemed even more armor-like than before. I also felt, rather than saw a line of spikes running down my spine. My digivice (A/N: I'm getting tired of saying gauntlet) had also changed. It was now completely black and resembled a dragon's head, with my hand coming out of the dragon's mouth, a small display on the top of the dragon's head, and added armor plating running all the way up my arm. Looking up, I saw that Strikemon had also changed. He had blades running from his knees and elbows, his scales looked more armored than before, and from what I could see of his tail, he had the row of spikes going down his back as well. "You too Strikemon." Stepping out to the mouth of the cave, I looked toward the village. "Well, we should probably head back. Just in case they need our help." "Right." Once again, we took to the air, and flew back to the village. What a pity...we go as fast as we can, and still manage to miss the fight. We landed on a hill just outside of the village. "Strikemon, back to one I think." "Yeah." He glowed for a moment and faded, and I felt his presence in my mind again. I opened my wings, and flew over to where the others were. "Ryu! Where were you?" "Heh...Sorry Tai." I held up my right arm, so the new armor could be clearly seen. "I just found something up in the mountains." "Hey guys! The Yokomon are inviting us to stay the night!" Sora said. "Thanks Sora! Well Tai, shall we be going?" I walked past him, and halted a few feet behind him. "Besides. I knew that you would manage to take Meramon down somehow. I have complete faith in your abilities."  
  
A few hours later, after eating and hearing the details of the battle, I found a nice spot outside, and went to sleep. 


	6. Let the games begin!

Authors note: I made a couple changes to the last couple chapters. Nothing too serious, just changing a couple details. (Changed the design of the digivice, and added two seals: metal and wood)  
  
When I opened my eyes, there was nothing but a void around me. "So, you've got four of the seals. Not too bad. I'd be a bit more impressed if you weren't created with three of them, but the fact that you found one on your own is good enough for now." A voice came out of the darkness. "What? Where is this?" "It's a dream world. Nothing really exists here. I don't know why you seem so surprised. You've been here once before." The voice paused before continuing. "Though I must admit, Azulongmon and I have very different ideas on scenery." "Who are you?" "One moment." The void before me shimmered, and a large blue and white dragon materialized before my eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself to start with. My name is AeroVeedramon. My purpose as of this moment is to test your abilities, or in short, act as a mentor." "A mentor?" I asked, confused. "What for?" "Do you know anything about this world?" "No, actually I don't know much. On the other hand, I haven't been doing too badly on my own, now have I?" "You admit you know nothing, and yet you're still so arrogant. All you humans are the same; completely lacking the ability to admit that someone may be superior to yourself." "Humans? You mean that you know about us? All the other digimon-" "Have no idea that another world exists. I know. As for your "success", I am quite willing to call it luck. I've been watching you closely since you entered this world, and your one victory was due to a shared digivolution with your partner, who, by the way is being left out of this conversation. And before you say anything, it has nothing to do with getting you alone. It's easier to mask two than three, and I didn't want to waste any additional energy. Besides, you should be able to tell him what he needs to know easily enough. "But enough with the details. If you can meet my challenge and find me, I'll teach you what you need to know. Oh, and just in case you think you can get by without me, I have this as well." In the air behind him, two balls of lightning formed. "The Seals of Lightning reside with me. And before you even start to consider it, don't bother trying to sense them. I have the both of them carefully shielded. It'll take quite a bit of skill to find me." "How do I know you're not lying?" "Simple. If I wanted you deleted, I could easily do it myself at this point." "Oh. I guess that works." "Before I go, I will give you this." A small card appeared in his claw, and he held it out for me to take. "It's a map showing you where the pieces of the relic are hidden. Now, is there anything you'd like to ask me before we begin?" "One thing. How do I use this thing?" I asked, holding up the card. "That's the easy part. See that panel on the back of your hand? Open it, and insert the card." I followed the instructions, and after a minute, the panel spat out the card, and a display lit up, showing the island and four glowing dots. One was in the desert, one seemed to be in an icefield, one was in the forest we had passed through, and the last was on the mountain in the middle of the island. "Each piece has its own guardian. Defeat the guardian, get another piece of the puzzle. Simple, isn't it?"  
  
My eyes opened and I saw the faint traces of color in the sky. When was I last able to sleep in? Oh, right. Two days ago. I know they're all trying to look out for me, but I'd like to be able to sleep in once in a while...dammit. I'm up already, may as well get going. I got up and stretched my wings and tail, and noticed a pair of Yokomon bounce (hey, they don't have legs, right?) by. "Hey, can you two do me a favor?" "Sure!" they chorused. "One, is there any way I can get a little food to take with me?" "Of course!" "Thanks. Oh, and can you give the others a message for me? Tell them that I appreciated their company, but there's something that I have to take care of by myself." "Okay!" "Thanks. I really appreciate it."  
  
Half an hour later, I was out over the desert, and I felt my partner beginning to wake. Nice to see you finally decided to wake up. I commented sarcastically. Huh? Where are we? He replied groggily. We had another visitor last night. I quickly summarized what AeroVeedramon had told me. I take it we're going after the one in the desert first? I took a quick glance at the map, and saw the dot showing my location almost on top of the desert piece. Yep. It was the closest one. Maybe we should split up. We probably won't get the time during the fight. I was going to say that...  
  
"There!" Strikemon pointed to a statue of a dragon sitting in a depression. I quickly checked the map. "Well, it seems to be in the right place. I guess that's it. Wait here. I'll get it." I spiraled lower, and saw that the dragon was holding a small golden object it its claws. Just before I reached the statue, the sand around me exploded upward, and I felt a searing pain shoot through my left arm.  
  
Review...please? Hey, sorry it took so long. I won't make any excuses this time. I was just really lazy. I'm back though, and I'll try to get a new chapter up every couple weeks from here on, or at least until the File Island stuff is done. 


	7. Desert Storm

ChaosGallantmon: Not really.  See, he already can go between his human and dragon forms.  The seals just make him stronger.

And now, onto the story....

 "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

"Pyro Bomb!"  A trio of fireballs impacted the ground and exploded outward, blowing whatever was holding my arm back, and I felt teeth disengage from my arm and I fell to the ground, clutching my arm.

"Pyro Bomb!"  Another trio of blasts streaked by, impacting the armor of a familiar giant red bug as Strikemon landed beside me.

"Ryu, are you alright?"

"Damn...I was careless." I growled through clenched teeth.  As I slowly staggered to my feet, I realized that I had shifted unconsciously, but despite the added armor, blood was flowing from a long jagged cut running from wrist to elbow, and it seemed that my arm would be, for the time being, completely useless.  

"Ryu, maybe we should go.  We can always come back here later."

"You're kidding, right?  That bug wrecked my arm.  I'm not going anywhere until I pay it back!"  Alright, not the smartest thing I've ever done, but what can I say?  I was ticked.

??? POV: _High above the battle_

I pulled a red card out of a pocket and looked over at the cloaked figure hovering at my side.  "Now?"

My companion nodded.  "Now."

"Here we go!"  I formed a small energy sphere, slipped the card inside, and threw it down toward the battle.

Ryu's POV:

As I was finishing my statement, something came shooting out of the sky, and sent up so much sand that even the Kuwagamon took to the air.

"What the hell!?"  I managed to get out before being swallowed by the sandstorm.

When the sand settled, I saw a small card sticking out of the ground a few feet away.  _An...upgrade__ card?_ "Strikemon!  Give me some cover fire!"

"Right!  Flare strike!"

While Strikemon fired blast after blast, I grabbed the card, and by careful use of my jaws, managed to open the panel and slip the card in.

The dragon glowed for a moment and ejected the card, but other than that, nothing happened.

"Nothing's gonna happen?  I was hoping for at least a weapon of some kind."

As if in response to that thought, a gattling gun barrel materialized in the dragon's mouth.

"There we go.  Much better.  Strikemon!  Get out of my line of fire!"

As soon as he was clear, I pulled the trigger, and sent a long stream of energy toward the bug.

When the gun clicked empty, it vanished, but Kuwagamon was little more than a heap on the ground, with most of its armor shattered.

??? POV:

"So what now?" I asked.

"We continue to watch him.  We have our orders."

"Where do you think he'll go from here?"

 "If I had to guess, I'd say he'll go to the forest, mainly because it's the only other area that he knows right now, and once he's healed, go after the forest guardian."

 "Speaking of which, why'd you call up a Kuwagamon to look after the desert?"

"First one to come to mind."

"...."

"What?  I didn't hear any ideas coming from _you_, did I?"

"I suppose not.  But, I get to pick the next one."

"Fine."

Ryu's POV:

The second my hand closed around the orb, it seemed to disintegrate and merge with the dragon on my arm.

"....That's it?"

"Ryu, I think I know someone who can help with your arm, but we have to go back to the forest.  Can you still fly?"

"I think so."  I opened my wings and managed to take to the air.  "Lead on."

At the edge of the forest, I just couldn't fly any more, and I was just able to land before losing consciousness.

Strikemon's POV:

_Well, he got this far...I can take him the rest of the way._  I carefully picked up my partner and turned into the forest.

When I reached the lake, I entered the trolley, carefully set him down on the floor, and walked out.

"I had hoped to be alone."  A massive yellow head broke the water's surface.  "Back again?"

"My friend is hurt.  I was hoping that we could stay until he recovers."

"You can stay under one condition."

"Which is?"

"Don't build a fire on my tail."

"Speaking of which, aren't you mad about what we did last time"

"Not really.  As you can see, I've suffered no permanent damage."

"Thanks.  We'll try not to bother you."

"There are a few plants down here that may help him to heal faster.  I'll get some for you.  Consider it my way of apologizing for last time."  With that, it sank below the water again.

"Thanks."

Okay.  One more chapter done.  Hope you like it.  Leave a review or something.

Poll question: What should the next "guardian" be?  Mind you, the battle will take place in the forest, so fire types are out.  Requirements: no fire types, no higher than champion/armor level, and please no more bugs...^_^;

Ryu: No kidding.  I've had it with bugs.  AHHH! ROACH!  *blows out a wall with the cannon*

Drake: Shouldn't you be unconscious?

Ryu: Really?

Drake: *Pulls out a massive hammer* YES! *smite*

Ryu: X_X


	8. Battle in the Forest

A/N: Hey everyone. That is, if anyone is actually reading this, but anyway….Yeah, I know I said once every couple weeks, but me being me, I starting writing chapters out of order. Then, when I had the next three chapters ready, I decided I didn't like something that I did at the start, and I just finished rewriting this one. shrug At least I know what I'm gonna do. Well, with that said, go ahead and read. AND REVIEW!!!!

Strikemon's POV:

_Where is he? Bloody forest..._ I grumbled, forcing my way through yet another bush.

"Strike claw!"

"AHH!" I dove to the side as a metal claw flew by me and impaled itself in the ground.

When I got to my feet again, there was a claw at my throat. "Nice to see you again Aidan."

"Dammit Tharos! You trying to kill me or something?"

The Strikedramon laughed. "Nah. If I was the other claw woulda hit you by now."

Only after he said that did I notice the thin wire connecting the first claw to his robotic right arm. "When'd you get that installed?"

"Not too long ago. It was a pain to work out the details, but it's a bit more reliable now, I think." With a yank, he brought the claw back and reattached it to his arm. "So, why stop by? I'm sure it's not for my company."

"I have an injured friend. I thought you might me able to help."

"I suppose so." He said with a sigh. "Kids these days. Always getting into trouble."

By the time we got back to the island, a slick bundle had been pushed up by the shore.

"I can use that." Tharos picked up the bundle and walked into the trolley.

"I hope this works...".

"It should. You'll know by tomorrow, either way." Seadramon's head rose slightly above the water as he spoke.

"Right." Turning, I walked into the trolley, where Tharos was examining Ryu's wound. "So how is he?"

"Not as bad as you may think. It already seems to be healing a bit."

"Really?"

"Thing is, no digimon that I know of can heal this quickly. No...actually that isn't really correct. I know of one other that heals like this." He said, shooting a rather pointed look at me.

"What?"

"There's something about the two of you that greatly speeds up healing. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"You're imagining things, Tharos." I said with a nervous laugh._ He's onto us..._

"If you say so." He said with a small smile.

"Hmm...how long do you think he'll take to heal completely?" I asked.

"Another couple hours, give or take. Why?"

"We came to the forest for a reason. If I can take care of it by myself, when he wakes up, we can leave immediately."

"Need a hand?"

"Ummm...can you keep an eye on him instead?"

"Heh. Sure. I'll keep an eye on him till he's awake."

"And then?" I asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. I'll think of something then."

Walking over to where Ryu lay, I removed the gauntlet from his right arm and put it on. "Okay. I'll be back a little later. Keep him safe!"

Tharos' POV:

_Keep him safe? Of course I will. I save his tail so many times and he thinks I'll just let his buddy get hurt? No thanks at all..._

Walking over to where the other dragon lay sleeping, I carefully hoisted him onto my back and ran out of the Trolley.

Strikemon/Aidan's POV:

_Now, how to get this thing working...there!_ The map display lit up, and a dot appeared in the middle of the forest.

Following the map, I found a small clearing, where another dragon statue stood. _Well, I guess this is the place. Now, where's the guard? I don't want to make the same mistake._

After circling the clearing for a few minutes and after seeing nothing but a few dead trees to one side, I flew lower, and landed with my back to the statue.

I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and threw myself to the side as something shot past.

"Branch Drill!" A second object shot toward me, and I barely managed to dodge that as well.

Tracking the attacks back to their source, I saw a Woodmon emerge from the grove of dead trees. _A Woodmon! Pure genius. _

I grinned as I felt a flame spark within me. "I don't want to waste time fighting you, so I'll make sure that I end it with one blow." Quickly taking to the air, I flew above the living tree and fired off a Pyro Bomb directly into its hollow interior. The resulting blast send up a large cloud of dust and debris, but it seemed like I had won the battle.

"Okay, now that that's done with, I just need to retrieve the—!" a series of vines wrapped themselves around my arms, legs and torso.

The digivice bleeped and a long glowing (Duskmon-style) blade formed in the dragon's mouth.

_Thanks. I needed that._ I thought. _And I can add my own blades into the mix while I'm at it. _I sliced the vine off my right arm with my tail blade, and worked to free myself from the others.

...Not fast enough though. The second things started exploding around me, I realized what had happened—the dead tree was alive again. It had somehow evolved itself up a level to a Cherrymon.

"Strike Claw!" Something came crashing down on the vines that were still binding my left side.

"Move you idiot!" The something shoved me back and jumped away as another round of bombs exploded.

When the smoke cleared, I saw Tharos standing a little to my right. "Looks like I have to save you again Aidan."

"I was doing fine."

"Whatever. You may want to move though." He leapt into the air as more explosions rocked the area.

"Strike Claw!" Through the smoke, I saw him launch his right claw into the cherrymon's side, then use the wire to pull himself in to strike it again.

_I can help. _With a roar, I launched off another Pyro bomb, but unlike Tharos' attack, all mine did was leave a few scorch marks on the thing's trunk.

_Figures.__ He hits it and it gets hurt. I hit it and nothing happens._

I felt the flame in my core blaze up and a small grin slid across my face as I evolved.

"Tharos, get out of my way!" I yelled as I started running for the Cherrymon.

He looked up, considered a moment, hit the tree a few more times and jumped back, out of range.

As soon as he was out of the way, it turned its attention back toward me. "Cherry bomber!"

"Blaze Wall!" The wall of fire stopped the attack long before I even had to slow down.

When I was a couple meters away, I fired off another Nova Barrage. Admittedly, the initial blast didn't do nearly the damage I was hoping for, but it did have the added benefit of setting the tree ablaze.

Moments later, an even larger explosion sent me into the ground as the Cherrymon exploded, and I blacked out.

"Ugh…" I opened my eyes and sat up, realizing that I was no longer in my Blazedramon form.

"Here." Tharos grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. "Nice job, hitting the high explosives with a fire attack at _point blank range_. Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

"Shut up Tharos." I growled.

"Why? It's quite amusing. Hell, it's downright hilarious. Big bad baby dragon blowing himself up."

With a snarl, I launched an attack of my own at him, but he dodged my claws and kicked me back into the blast crater.

"By the way, you'll be glad to know that he's healed. He should be up any minute now."


	9. It's Cold Out

Ryu's POV:

"Ryu! Are you okay?" Strikemon practically yelled.

"I guess so…" I said as I got to my feet. "My arm seems to work at least, so I'm not going to complain."

"What, no one's gonna introduce me? I'm hurt." Another humanoid digimon stepped out from behind a few trees. "Well, anyway, I'm Tharos. An old friend of Aidan's. Or more precisely, I saved his butt more times than I care to remember."

"You trying to pick a fight old man?" Strikemon…Aidan? snapped.

" 'Old man'? Are you kidding me? I'm not _that_ much older than you." Tharos replied with a grin. "Of course if I'm an 'old man' what would that make you? A hatchling?"

"Grrrr…."

"Hey, don't go getting all mad at me. You started it."

"Err….Not to interrupt or anything, but what happened while I was out?"

"You want my version or his version?" Tharos asked smugly.

"Err…what's the difference?"

"His version won't include him blowing himself up."

"Tharos!"

"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" He asked innocently.

"Yes!"

"Sorry."

"Yeah, sure."

"Umm…back to my question…?" _Jeez…old married couple…_

"Not all that much. Tharos and I took care of the forest, so once you're ready, we can go."

"Tharos, why are you coming with us?"

"Is there any reason I shouldn't? Admit it, you like my company. Besides, you could use someone with a little more fighting experience than you've got."

"Ryu? Do we really have to keep this guy around?"

"Well, there's no real way to MAKE him go away if he doesn't want to." I replied.

"Got that right!" Tharos interjected.

"Besides, given what we're doing, a little extra help couldn't hurt."

"I guess so..." Aidan said reluctantly. "But...why him!?"

Unknown POV:

"This was most certainly unforeseen. I was not expecting him to be here."

"Adjustments will have to be made. What say we activate three?"

"Two to keep him busy and one for the pair? What would you suggest?"

"Well, there aren't many powerful digimon from the ice region, so one Icedevimon and two Frigimon."

"Seems reasonable. The two young ones can already go champion, and the other's abilities put him somewhere between a high champion and a low ultimate. But let's make things interesting. Let me summon _my_ Icedevimon. The pair can take on the Frigimon."

Ryu's POV:

"Looks like it's going to start snowing soon." Tharos remarked about half an hour into the frozen area.

"Really?" I looked up and saw only a few dark clouds. "It doesn't look all that bad."

"Fine. Don't listen to me even though I've spent a lot of time in this particular area."

"Okay, okay, I believe you! What do you suggest we do?"

"Nothing." he said with a chuckle. "We'll be fine. I was just letting you know what'll happen."

"Oh."

"Hey Ryu," Strikemon, no...Aidan called from the rear.

"Yeah?" I responded, pausing for a moment to let him catch up. _I'm gonna have to ask him for an explanation sooner or later…_

"What do you think we'll be up against this time?"

"You tell me. It's not like I know much about this place. I just hope it isn't a bug." I replied dryly.

"Maybe a Frigimon? Or a Mojyamon? They're both at home in the cold."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Like I said, I'm not really from around here."

By the time we were even near where the map said the statue was, the relatively sunny day had become a blizzard.

"Damn it! Maybe we should just find a place to sit out the snow." I yelled against the wind.

"Won't work! You'd be waiting for days!" Tharos yelled back. "Besides, it's not like you're COLD or anything!"

I blinked. _He's right. By all rights, my tail should have frozen off by now...Wow. I guess there are some perks to being a digimon...or at least, whatever I am._ I mean, I could feel that it was cold, but it wasn't altogether unpleasant. At least I was in no danger of getting frostbite or something.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's right" Aidan yelled a moment later. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get out of here!"

So, following the advice of the two true digimon, I kept pushing my way through the snow.

"We should be pretty close now!" I bellowed.

"OKAY!" The other two roared back.

Two steps further, I stepped into a large dome...or something. In the center lay the statue, but for almost one hundred meters all around there was no snow. Looking up, I saw a faintly glowing dome that kept all the snow out.

"Whoa!"

"Never knew about THIS!"

The other two who had been only a few steps back entered the dome as well.

"Well, it's about time you three got here." A pair of massive cloaked figures stepped out from behind the statue. "Are you ready for the third round?" The shorter said in a distinctly female voice.

"Do we really have a choice?" I muttered.

"No."

"Well then, let's get started." Tharos said from the rear. "I've been bored recetly."

"As you wish." she said. "Round three begins...now."

The moment the last word was said, the ground began to shake, and three figures emerged from the ground.

"An Icedevimon and two Frigimon? This won't take long." Tharos said. "Okay then, I'll take the ugly one. The Frigimon are yours."

"Uh...sure. Ryu, you ready?"

"I guess. I'll take the one on the left."

"That leaves me the one on the right. Okay then. Let's get it started! Pyro bomb!"

"Strike claw!"

"Sub Zero Ice Punch!"

"Yow, that's COLD!" I yelped as my tail didn't quite dodge with the rest of me.

Tharos' POV:

_That's no ordinary Icedevimon._ I thought after my fifth attack didn't hurt it. "Strike Claw!" I launched my robotic claw out again, and as before, pulled it back having done no damage. "You know what? Beating you could be kind of fun. I haven't had cause to pull out the heavy artillery in a long time." With a small grin, I brought the weapons in my right arm online. "Let's see how you like this! Tri shock cannon!" The claws flipped back to reveal three gun barrels, and I fired a series of high explosive rounds into the Icedevimon's chest.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Didn't work, I see." I said out loud as I leapt back to avoid its claws. "Well, there are other weapons. Shooting star!" Two panels in the sides of my arm opened up and a pair of rockets leapt out and smashed into Icedevimon's midsection, staggering it.

It got to its feet again and took a step towards me.

"Still not ready to give up? Oh well. I'm going to win anyway, may as well do it in style." Taking a deep breath, I collected my energy and let it surge throughout my body as I evolved.

As a Cyberdramon, I figured I had enough power to just blow it away, and even if I didn't, the extra power could be used to activate the…never mind.

"You took my attacks pretty well when I was a champion, now let's see how you deal with an ultimate! Desolation claw!" It dodged that blast, but left a momentary opening. In a heartbeat, I was behind it, and I drove my claws straight through its body, and ripped it apart.

"Phew, that was almost a challenge." I said, turning toward the other two.

In that instant, I was struck hard from behind and almost fell. Spinning around, I saw not one, but two Icedevimon. "I see. So, that's how it's going to be played? This'll be a lot of fun."

Five minutes later, my confidence was beginning to wane. The one Icedevimon had now become ten. Every time I took one down, two more came back. "Ugh!" I deflected a Frost Claw with my robotic arm, and used my other to deliver a punch that sent it flying. "Well, it seems like I have no choice but to use it."

Since I was no longer in my Strikedramon form, the bionic limb had reconfigured itself, now matching my Cyberdramon arm. However, despite losing access to all but one of the weapons I had as a Strikedramon, this configuration opened up whole new possibilities, as well as increasing the power of that one weapon several times.

After activating the power storage unit, I rushed in towards the Icedevimon-not to defeat them, but instead, to keep them occupied for the few minutes that the cannon needed to charge.

Three minutes later, I jumped away from the Icedevimon and landed just as a ping sounded to inform me that the charge had reached 100. As they turned toward me again, I raised my arm and readied the cannon.

My hand flipped up, and from the hole where it was, a cannon barrel emerged.

"Wave Cannon…Fire!" A thick beam lanced out from the cannon and smashed through all ten Icedevimon, leaving nothing behind.

Panting, I closed the cannon and dropped to my knees. _I've forgotten what a strain it is to fire that thing._ "Heh, may as well see if those two need any help."

Straightening, I looked toward where Ryu and Aidan were fighting, and saw the pair of Blazedramon finish of their opponents almost simultaneously.

"Everyone okay?" I called out.

"Yeah. I managed to melt most of the ice off with my last attack." Ryu said.

"Same here. Fire beats ice any day."

"Glad to hear it." I said, and devolved.

"Hey Tharos, I never knew you could do that though." Aidan said after they had both devolved.

"Feh. Just because I don't doesn't mean I can't. It's easier to sneak around if you're smaller."

"Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh.'" I replied dryly. "Hey, you, Ryu. You came here for that thing, right? Take it already."

"What? Oh, right." He flew up to the top of the statue and grabbed the orb.

"So, you guys want to try to make it out of this place in the couple hours of day that we have left?" I asked.

"Walk...through a blizzard..."

"I figured as much. Well then, I've got a little spot where we can hole up for the night. Follow me."

Unknown POV:

"Well, I suppose it's time that we reported back."

"They have retrieved the three gatespheres, they are safe, and they were fairly tested. All mission parameters have been met."

"Then it's time to go."

"Then let's go."

With that said, the two of us headed toward Infinity Mountain, and the hidden chambers below.

A/N: Yay! I finished another chapter in record time! :P I hope you people enjoy my work. I've already started writing the next chapter, so it shouldn't be more than a few weeks till I update again.

Ryu: Famous last words.

….Shaddap. Any more comments and I'll send you to the bugs.

Ryu: Noooo…..

REVIEW DAMMIT!!!!!


	10. We've Got All Three!

Ryu's POV:

We were trudging up the path to Infinity Mountain's summit when Tharos decided to speak up.

"You…do know where you're going, right?"

"Why do you ask?" I asked. Glancing down at the display on my wrist, it showed us almost on top of the dot representing the final site. "According to this, we're almost there."

"Almost there?" He replied incredulously. "You're kidding right? Unless you plan to _dig_ through the mountain, you're going the wrong way!"

"You know something about what we're after?" Aidan asked.

"You mean the two of you don't even know what you were collecting!?" He said, sounding rather shocked.

"You do?" I asked. "All I was told was that they were pieces to some relic."

"Hmm…I suppose that that's a decent way of explaining it." He said thoughtfully. "And I have a hunch that I know who gave you the info."

"Well thanks Tharos." Aidan replied sarcastically. "We know absolutely nothing more than we did when we started."

"Sarcasm gets you nowhere." Tharos replied calmly. "Anyway, the three orbs that you collected serve as…well, is suppose 'keys' would be the best term to use. These 'keys' are used to code specific destinations on the warp matrix. A terminal of said matrix is located below us, under Infinity Mountain. If you like, I could lead you to it."

"Sure. Go ahead." I said.

"Tharos, why didn't you mention something sooner?" Aidan asked.

"I was under the impression that you knew what you were doing. Guess I was wrong."

"This is incredible!" I gasped as we stepped into the terminal.

There was a huge domed ceiling, and glowing runes were carved in columns running from the floors to the top of the ceiling. The thing that I found most interesting, however was a large circular platform in the center of the area. There wasn't too much about the platform itself, but there were seven statues-just like the ones I had gotten the spheres from-around the perimeter.

"Hey, Ryu! Get over here!" Tharos called.

Tearing my eyes from the machine, I turned toward Tharos, and saw him seated on front of a large computer.

"What is it?" I asked, walking over.

"I need those spheres. If you were sent after them, then it's only reasonable that they code for your destination."

"Oh. Okay." The spheres materialized one by one in my armored hand, and I passed the trio to Tharos, who slipped them into the machine.

"Okay. Give the system a minute to power up then go through. You go through separately."

"What? Why?" Aidan was instantly at my side. "Why can't I go with him!?"

"Three spheres, three trips. Trust me. I think I know where you're going, and you have to go _alone_."

"If anything happens to him…"

"Don't worry about it Aidan."

A sudden crackle caught my attention, and I looked up just in time to see the dragons rotate slowly outward, and fire a single beam into the walls.

The seven beams each hit a different rune, then scattered across the room, hitting several more before converging on the center of the platform.

"Okay. One of you go through. It doesn't really matter which one."

"Okay. See ya, Aidan." I turned and walked toward the platform.

"Just stand in the center and wait. There is a ten second delay in case someone changes their mind or something."

"Gotcha." I stepped into the center of the platform, and felt a tingling sensation-something like pins and needles-all over my body.

Ten seconds later, the world flashed white, and I felt myself falling.

Tharos' POV:

"Where'd he go!?" Aidan demanded.

"Calm down." I sighed. "Like I said. It's a WARP MATRIX. It moves people from one place to another. Anyway, you're next." I activated the second key and the same thing happened, the statues rotated out, fired, and activated the specific code for the location. _And it's exactly where I thought it would be._

"He had better be alright, Tharos." He said, then walked off to the pad.

I sighed. "Like I said. Don't worry."

When he was gone, I activated the last sphere and headed for the pad.

"I hate this part…."

The world flashed white.

Drake: Short, yes. But don't worry, I've already written the next chapter. I just have to get it from my notebook to my computer, which shouldn't take too long.

Ryu: I hope not!

Drake: That does it…throws Ryu into the pit of bugs

Ryu: AHHHHHHH!!!!!! things start exploding

Drake: While he's "enjoying" himself down there, leave me a review. And I don't consider three words a review.


	11. The Final Round

Ryu's POV:

I reappeared several feet in the air, snapped my wings open and landed neatly. "Great. Now where am I?"

"Welcome, Guardian." a deep voice rumbled.

Spinning around, I came face to face with….nothing. "Who said that?"

"I did. Don't bother looking, I'm not there with you. Now, before meeting with you, there is one last battle. Of course, I am not completely heartless. Go through the door on your right and you will find some food. Through the door in front of you, you will find your opponent."

_Well, may as well get going._ Stepping forward, I pushed the door open, and stepped into what appeared to be a large, circular arena.

"Are you ready? Be warned, this will be the hardest battle you've had so far."

"Yes."

"Very well then. Final round commence!"

A door on the other side of the arena swung open, and my opponent stepped out of the shadows and into the open.

I gasped. Standing across from me was an exact duplicate.

"You seem surprised. I am not a true copy of you. I am merely a collection of all the battle data that we have on you. I also have an observation program to record additional information from this match. Anything that you have done so far, I can replicate perfectly. I am also capable of using more attack features of the D-Dragon than you are currently aware of." The "D-Dragon" as he called it, rippled, and three prongs extended from the dragon's mouth. As bolts started to crackle around the prongs, he pointed it at me and fired.

I launched myself into the air, just as a blast blew a hole in the wall where I had been standing. I activated the gattling cannon in my "D-Dragon", and fired a long blast back at my duplicate, sending up a cloud of smoke around the area.

When the smoke cleared, he was still standing there, completely unharmed.

"It has a shield function as well." He said, holding up his right arm.

Running along the sides of his arm were dozens of small spikes, and surrounding the spikes was a reddish glow.

_Great.__ Now what? Apparently, I can't blast him from here…_ With a silent grumble, I shot a quick glare at the gauntlet. "I don't suppose you've got a sword in there…?"

To my surprise, I was answered not only by blades growing out of the dragon's mouth, but also one extending from the back of my elbow, and almost reaching my shoulder. In addition, my body itself changed, the spikes on my back and tail vanished, the scales on my left arm became rock-hard, and a blade pushed its way out of my elbow.

Across from me, my opponent was going through the same changes.

Aidan's POV:

"Oof.." I landed on all fours in the center of a large-ish room.

"Welcome."

"Who's there!?" I demanded.

"Don't worry. I'm no threat. If you must know, I'm the one behind the battles you've been fighting recently. I have one final challenge for you. It is waiting through the door in front of you. If you like, there is food to your right. Enter the next room when you're ready to begin."

"Nah. Don't need anything slowing me down." I stepped through the doorway, and was confronted by a copy of myself.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Final round begin!"

"Pyro Bomb!" We chorused.

The blasts streaked across the room, and detonated against each other.

Charging in, we began a close combat match. Strike, block, counterstrike…the pattern went on and on, until in one moment, I blocked a moment too late. The second punch caught me in the gut, and I doubled up, gasping for breath. "Pyro…BOMB!" The trio of blasts flew out of my jaws and caught him full on, sending him crashing against the far wall.

"Heh. Now _that_ was unexpected." He said, climbing to his feet. "Well, what say we end the warm-up?"

"Fine by me."

Tharos' POF:

"You, I give a choice. You can either fight or pass through unchallenged."

"No thanks. I want to see how much better that thing's gotten since my last visit." I responded with a grin.

"Suit yourself. I only ask that you refrain from using the wave cannon in your Cyberdramon form. I hate to say it, but the arenas can't take a hit like that without being damaged beyond my damage control system's ability to fix."

"Yeah, yeah. I know that already."

"Then tell me why I've had to fix blast craters in three different arenas!"

"Sorry. I just get a little carried away sometimes."

"No kidding?"

"ALRIGHT! I won't use it this time!"

"Good."

With a growl, I pushed the door open, and came face to face with my double.

"You ready?" I asked in a low growl.

"Of course."

"Good."

"Strike Claw!"

I rolled to the side to avoid his claw, and as I came out of the roll, sprayed the area with fire from my shock cannons, sending up a wall of smoke.

My copy burst through the top of the smoke cloud, and fired a pair of shooting stars.

Shifting my aim, I fired off another burst from the shock cannons, and took the two missiles down. However, the resulting blast threw up an even larger cloud of smoke, and I lost track of my copy. _Heh__ I'm fighting blind, and it's almost up to my level. I may have to work for this victory…_ I leapt into the air as seven or eight swarm missiles detonated where I had been a moment before. _Trace the trajectory…there!_ For an instant, I saw the gleam of metal through the smoke. Eight small ports opened up around my arm, and I fired off a round of swarm missiles.

The missiles streaked down, detonating harmlessly. However, the shockwave from the blasts managed to blow some of the smoke aside for a moment, revealing the copy.

The moment my feet were back on the ground, I fired off another sustained burst from my shock cannons, but by the time the rounds got there, he had moved back into the smoke.

_This is getting interesting._ Spinning around, I caught the copy's claw an instant before it struck me. "You're a lot better than the last time." I launched a kick into his midsection, sending it back into the air.

"But you can't beat me. The original is always superior to a copy."

"That's what you think."

"Of course. While I am continually developing new techniques, your programming only allows you to take my battle data. In other words, you are how I was almost a year ago. Your data is obsolete."

"Prove it."

"Oh, I intend to." Most of the smoke had been filtered out by the air-processing systems, meaning that there was very little cover in the arena now.

With a roar, I charged in and lashed out with my right claw.

Ryu's POV

I caught his sword on my left arm, then rushed forward, aiming to land a blow with my right elbow-blade.

He leapt back, just outside of my attack range. "Come now, surely you can do better than that."

"Damn right I can." I shifted the D-Dragon back to its gattling mode and fired a long stream of energy at him.

"Won't work." He said as the rounds splattered harmlessly against his shield.

I shifted it back to sword mode, and charged in.

Either by choice or lack of time, he kept the D-Dragon in its shield configuration, and deflected my strike. I spun around to strike with my left elbow-blade, but that was likewise stopped. I kept spinning, lashing out with all three blades and my tail, but he seemed to know where each strike was going to be, and blocked each one.

Until, that is, I reversed direction, and suddenly came at him from the right. The sudden reversal caught him slightly by surprise, and in that instant, I configured my D-Dragon to the beam cannon that I had seen him use earlier.

The blast ripped a sizzling hole through his torso, burning through armor and flesh like they were nothing.

However, as I watched, thin wires began to bridge the damaged area, and within a minute, the wound was gone, except for a shining metal patch to mark where the hole had been.

"I concede the match. Had I been anything else, that shot would have destroyed me. Well then, follow me." His weapons deactivated, and he turned and walked through the door he came in from.

I powered down the cannon and followed him through. Much to my surprise, I found a table that was piled high with food.

"Wait here. Your companions will be along shortly."

"Sure. Thanks. Umm…I can eat this, right?" I asked, pointing at the food.

"That's what it's there for."

"Nice. Thanks!"

Aidan's POV:

"Nova Barrage!"

As the blasts streaked toward me, I summoned up my flames. "Blaze Wall!" My shield took a pounding, but it was enough to negate his attack. I leapt out from the flame, in the momentary pause between his attacks, kneed him in the gut.

As he staggered back, I summoned up more fire and fired off a Nova Barrage at point-blank range.

The resulting blast ripped off my double's left arm, and peeled away parts of its face.

I gasped. Staring at me from the ruined face was a robotic eye and the glint of a metallic skin. As I watched, a new arm grew from the stump of its arm.

"Very well. I concede. Damage received exceeds tolerance levels. The match is over." It "devolved", and walked through a door. "Devolve and follow me."

"Right…" After devolving, I followed it through.

"Hey Aidan. Looks like we all ended up in the same place."

"Ryu?"

"Yep." He jerked a finger toward the pair of robots. "They said Tharos was still fighting. Speaking of which…" He turned toward the robots. "Could you two leave us alone for a while?"

"When Tharos is done with his match, we will have to return."

"Fine." Ryu said.

The pair walked out, and Ryu turned back to me. "So, _Aidan_…"

_Here we go…_I thought glumly. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell me you had a _name_ name?"

"It's…a long story."

"I doubt that. That particular clich's been used so much it's all but meaningless."

"Alright…I'll give you the short version."

"Fine with me."

"Well, first off, Tharos is the only one who's called me that for the last few years. About five years ago, I spent a lot of time traveling with a couple older warriors. Raven, the older one, was an Alphamon, and a Mega, which means that he was about as strong as they come. Raxis was younger, but in his own way, just as powerful. As a team, the two were almost unbeatable. Raven excelled in close range combat, whereas Raxis, being a Raidenmon, excelled at long range combat. I'm sure you can see the advantages."

"Of course. One softens the target up, then the other finishes it off."

"Right. Well, at one point, they served as the guards for something or other-they never told me, despite my asking them many times-but it seems that something happened, and they failed. As a result, they spent most of their time out in the wilds, which is where I ran into them. They took me in, and of course, I was glad for some friendship. Well, up until then, I was actually going by Strikemon-not all digimon decide to take other names. Well, they decided to give me a different name, and after a week, they decided to call me Aidan."

"That explains the name." He said. "But not why you stopped using it."

"I'm getting to it." I grumbled. "Stop interrupting."

"Sorry."

"Well, one night, we were attacked. I still don't know who, or what attacked us. They told me to escape while they fended it off, so of course, I took off. I mean, they were both megas, and I was only a rookie. If they told me to go, I went. Well, when I went back the next morning, the entire area was blasted clear open. Dozens of craters from Raxis' guns, huge gashes in the ground from Raven's swords…but no sign of either them or the thing that came after them. At least, that's what I thought. After about an hour of circling the area, I made my way into the center of the destruction. I found…debris. Raven's broken swords, and…pieces of Raxis. It…wasn't pleasant. That was where Tharos found me, a couple days later. Shortly after that, I stopped using 'Aidan' as my name. I figured if I couldn't help them when they needed it the most, I had no right to the name."

"Idiot."

"What?"

"Think about it. It's good to know that you respected them that much, but like you said, they were megas. What could you have done? Besides, how do you think they'd react if they knew that you'd given up that name so easily?"

Tharos' POV:

"Desolation Claw!" The robot dodged the blast, and fire a short burst from its beam cannon.

_Great.__ It's modifying itself during the match. I've got to end this now!_ I dodged the burst, and fired one of my own. "You're in luck. You'll be the first to fall victim to my new move."

"Bing it on." It replied, firing off a volley of missiles.

"I fully intend to." Rushing forward, I passed the missiles before they could acquire a lock, and slammed my shoulder into its chest.

Planting both claws in the ground, I launched a kick into its lower jaw, sending it a foot or so into the air. I pushed off with my claws, and delivered a second kick, than knocked it much higher.

The instant my feet touched the ground, I was up again, this time aiming to go straight through it. My claws pierced its back, and whipped them downward, flinging it straight into the ground. I then fired my right claw into its stomach section, hitting it just as it hit the floor.

As I began to fall, I angled myself toward my fallen opponent, pulled my claw back, and began to charge a wave cannon shot. Just before my landing, I fired a half-power shot, ripping the robot in two. "Meteor Rendan!"

"There. I win again." I said, as I pushed the pieces into a pile in the center of the arena. "And as usual, you need some serious repairs."

"You weren't supposed to use the cannon."

"I fired it at half power. He has no reason to complain." I devolved before continuing. "However, your modifications made this an almost decent match. I think I'll go talk to the old man about letting you work out some tricks of your own."

I made my way to the exit and walked through.

"Think about it. It's good to know that you respected them that much, but like you said, they were megas. What could you have done? Besides, how do you think they'd react if they knew that you'd given up that name so easily?

I grinned. "They'd be pissed."

"What!?" Two heads whipped around to stare at me.

"What?" I said lightly. "They would be. By the way, where're the other two 'bots?"

"Right here." The fourth door opened, and they walked out.

"It needs repairs again. The pieces are where they always are."

"Can't you restrain yourself?" Aidan's copy asked.

"Nope." I said with a grin. "Besides, it's not my fault you're built flimsy."

Ryu's clone sighed. "We'll repair it, as usual."

"So where's the old guy?"

"Would it kill you to show a little respect?" Another voice grumbled.

"It probably would." I said with a grin.

A massive blue dragon stepped through the door. "Ah, so you two finally got here. And Tharos, thanks for keeping an eye on them."

"No problem, old man."

"By the way," he said lightly. "I thought you WEREN'T going to use the cannon?"

"It was at half power! What do you have to complain about?"

"You're not the one who has to repair it."

"Bad construction, hm? Prometheus could have shrugged it off."

"This isn't Prometheus. I don't have that level of technology."

Drake: There, this chapter's all done.

Ryu: Took you long enough.

Drake: Is that a kuwagamon I see?

Ryu: Alright, alright. I'll stop. Just call off the bugs!

Drake: Good.

Well, here's another chapter for you. Hope you like it. Now REVIEW!! Come on, can I at least get more than two? (Hey, that rhymed….;)  
Bonus points to whoever figures out where I got the idea for Tharos' last attack!


	12. History of the World

Nightdragon0: Don't worry, more details will be along shortly…

Drake: I'm taking bits and pieces from Frontier

Ryu's POV:

"Now, back to the business at hand. Ryu, Aidan, in order to truly understand what you are, you have to first understand the history of this world. Tharos, you already know most of this. Feel free to leave." The blue dragon said.

"No thanks."

"Um…Just who are you, anyway?" Aidan asked.

"Me?" He looked over toward me. "Well, I'm sure that you recognize me, at least."

"Aero…Veedramon, right?" I said hesitantly.

"Well, if that's too much of a mouthful, I guess you could just call me Aero, but yes, that's me. I've been watching the two of you for some time."

"We'll begin the repairs to the arenas." My copy said. He and Aidan's copy walked out through Tharos' door.

"Well, this room isn't meant for talking for long periods, so what say we go somewhere a little more spacious?" Aero said lightly. "Follow me."

"Alright. I know that you're all probably tired from the fights, but this won't take too long, and besides, there's a bit of a feast waiting for you next door. As I said before, Tharos, you know most of what I am going to say, so feel to leave."

"Like I said. No thanks." Tharos replied flatly.

"Alright then. Ryu, Aidan, Tharos, what I am going to say does not leave the room, clear?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

"Get on with it."

"Polite, aren't we?" Aero sighed. "Okay then. Ryu, Aidan, what do you know about your powers?"

I took a quick glance at Tharos and saw his eyes narrow slightly, but he remained quiet.

"Well, honestly, not all that much. We weren't given very much detail."

"I figured as much." He sighed. "Alright. About a thousand years ago, there was a great war in the digital world. Many hundreds of thousands died in almost a century of constant warfare. At some point in the last five years of the conflict, ten warriors came into existence. These ten were imbued with power drawn from the digital world itself. When the war was over, the ten warriors disappeared. However, power of that magnitude does not simply disappear. Instead, in this case, the power created the Seals that you are currently seeking."

A sudden click stopped him. "Say that again." Tharos said coldly.

I turned toward him and found myself looking down the barrel of a sparking cannon.

"Tharos. Settle down." Aero said quietly.

"Power seeks power old man. You expect me to simply _let_ someone acquire that kind of power?"

"It is not your duty to judge what the Sovereigns have decided."

"My duty was to protect the Darkness Seal. I failed once before. I won't let it happen again!"

"You should be glad then. Your 'failure' is in part responsible for Ryu's life."

"What?"

"What?"

A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Let me finish. Tharos, there is a new chapter to this story that is only just beginning. Depending on whether these two complete their mission, the world will either live…or die."

"If I'm not convinced by the time you stop talking…"

"You will be."

"Fine then. Get on with it." He lowered the cannon and closed his arm again. "I'm waiting."

Aero cleared his throat. "Right. Where was I? Ah, right. Over the centuries, nine of the Seals were found. Luckily, when each was found, word was passed to the Sovereigns almost immediately. Eventually, there were nine hidden fortresses, spread out around the Digital World. Each fortress operated independently, and each had a full garrison stationed permanently there.

"Twenty years ago, a second war broke out. An organization calling itself the Black Fang launched attacks on the Forts. My group- the Watchers- were bound by our laws to do nothing but monitor the situation. As such, we monitored the progress of the Black Fang for five years, during which, all nine Fortresses fell. Only then did our leaders realize that there was no point watching a burned-out world.

"For the six months after that, we had our production facilities produce thousands of ships. All told, we had a force of about fifty warships, each with a fighter complement of over five hundred. Well, we waited a few more months, waiting for an opening. Finally, one showed itself. For reasons that we-at the time-were unaware of, five of the stolen Seals simply vanished over a two-day period. With that, we launched. Our ships split up, and somewhere between ten and fifteen ships went after the other four. It ended up being one of the most disastrous miscalculations that my order had ever made. The four were eventually defeated, but at a price of all but two of our warships and almost 99 of our fighters. The area where the battle was fought was so badly destroyed, that those who still remember the battle refer to the area as Hell's Gate. Even the powerful virus-types avoid the area.

"Well, anyway, with the battle over, we attempted to restore the balance by scattering the Seals again. However, when we went over the battlefield, two were missing. We had all of them-minus Fire, of course-but to our surprise, the Light and Dark seals were also gone. Somehow, the energy released from the battle had given those two the energy they needed to break a hole in the barrier between the worlds. Anyway, we took the Seals, and scattered them across the digital world. The balance has lasted the last twenty years. Apparently, something has tipped the balance. What, I don't know. However, if it required the summoning of the two so-called 'Lost Seals', it has to be something major."

He stopped and turned to Tharos. "Well? Have I answered enough to convince you?"

"More or less. I'm not convinced that it was necessary, but on the off chance that it is, I will let them live." He turned toward Aidan and me. "However, if either of you loses control, make no mistake. I will stop you." He turned back to Aero. "Contact me as soon as you're done with them. I'll be on the Prometheus."

"Of course. I estimate at least two weeks. I'll send status reports to Prometheus at the end of every seven-day period."

"Good. I'll be waiting." He pulled a small crystal disk from a pocket and tapped its center. "Prometheus, bring me home." He glowed slightly and vanished.

"Prometheus decloaking 5 kilometers portside." A feminine voice said from a speaker in the corner of the room.

"Thank you, Adraxis." Aero said. "And before you ask, Adraxis is the ship's main computer. Very advanced AI, so watch what you say about her."

"Prometheus breaking orbit. Projected course takes it to 0985X3782"

"What? But that's the…Oh. Of course. Just ignore it unless something crazy happens."

"Confirmed."

"Well then, now that that's over, Ryu, training for you begins at 0800 tomorrow morning. Aidan, same time the next day. I'll be working the two of you hard, but you're going to need all the time we've got. For now, just eat and have Adraxis show you to your rooms. Anything else that you need, just ask her." He rose and left the room.

Drake: Sorry. I had to put all the words in this one. The interesting stuff starts up again next time. More on Aidan's history, and the beginning of their training. Oh, and if anyone's interested, I could do a side-story about Tharos' past.


	13. Past

Ryu's POV:

"It's late. You should be asleep." Adraxis said from the speaker in my wall.

"Can't sleep. By the way, I forgot to ask Aero something earlier, but you'd be able to answer my question just as well."

"Go ahead."

"Well, Aero said that you were the ship's computer, right? Well, I don't feel any movement, so that means we're not on the water, I don't think you can get something this big to fly comfortably through the air, and –"

"You want to know the location and type of vessel you are on."

"Exactly."

"That's easy enough." A panel in the wall slid open to reveal a computer. "Now, first I'll display the ship's schematics."

A small wall monitor lit up and I walked over. Filling the screen was what looked like a map of the area I was in. "Okay, explain this to me."

"This is a diagram of the ship. There are three primary sections. You are currently in the living quarters, located in the middle of the ship."

"Wait, how about displaying the ship from the outside. Start with the hull and then break it down."

"Okay then." The image moved out until the whole ship was visible. "From here, all you can see are the weapon systems and the general structure."

"That's enough for now." I said. The ship was obviously a warship. On the front were two cylindrical cannons, and they made up almost a quarter of the ship's length. Just behind the cannons, the ship took the form of a highly elliptical oval, and that continued for almost half the length of the ship. In the center of this section was a slightly raised bulge that I assumed was the bridge. The last quarter of the ship was made up of eight large engines. "What are the weapons like?" I asked.

The two cannons were highlighted in red. "These are Planetary Assault Cannons, capable of blowing quarter-mile wide craters in the surface of a planet." Several hundred spots along the hull were then highlighted. "These are actually the primary guns. They're far weaker, but can fire about twelve-hundred times faster-twice a second, as opposed to once every ten minutes."

"Okay, I get the idea. Now for the second question. Where are we? That's a horrible design for anything in an atmosphere, which must mean that we're in space. Or that whoever made this ship didn't care about efficiency."

"You were right the first time. Actually, your room comes with a view. Interested?"

"What?" I asked, confused. "Err…sure."

Large sections of my wall pulled away, leaving an opening the size of what was my wall. Below was the digital world, and above was what looked like a thick haze. "What's that?" I asked, pointing upward.

"The primary divide between the human world and the Digital World. To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to penetrate it. If nothing else, my systems are inadequate for that task. One thousand years ago, a fleet of one hundred thousand automated ships were used in an attempt to penetrate the barrier. 99982 of the ships were destroyed when they hit the barrier. However, the command ship Eternity along with 18 of the ships vanished. As of now, no data exists for returning ships. Speculation died out on the subject more than five hundred years ago."

Aidan's POV:

_I can't sleep…_ "Adraxis." I called out.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Do you have any information on the Fire Seal?"

"You'll have to be more specific. I have a very extensive database," came the reply.

"In the past hundred years."

"Hmm, let's see now…with those parameters….one thousand two hundred seventeen entries."

"That's narrowed down!?"

"There are more than a million files referencing the Seals, and about one hundred fifty thousand on the Fire Seal alone."

"Okay…Am I mentioned in any of them?"

"One moment." The room went quiet for several minutes. "You're in luck. There are eight files that reference both you and the Fire Seal."

"Can I see them?"

"Certainly. There is a terminal to your right. I will display the files there."

I sat down at the terminal, and, as promised, eight files were displayed.

"Which one comes first?"

"They are ordered chronologically."

I opened the first one and began reading.

'It's no wonder that no one's ever been able to find the Fire Seal. We've got the best detection equipment ever created, and it's barely detectable. Not only that, but it's located here, in an active volcano. I'm sorry sir, but until we can put together a better recover op, there's nothing to be done. The Meramon won't go near the magma, the temperature is above even their limits."

I stopped reading. "Adraxis, I thought you said I was mentioned."

"I did."

"Well?"

"Here." The page scrolled down several pages and a section was highlighted.

I continued reading. "In further exploration of the area, we discovered a cavern that led below the magma. There was a small chamber that was completely sealed off. However, our instruments picked up a large power source on the other side. I think that we've found the Fire Seal. However, as I have stated before, nothing we have is capable of withstanding that heat. In fact, if not for this barrier, which seems to be generated by the Seal itself, we wouldn't be standing here right now."

"That's the end of the file. However, I regret to say that the results of the second expedition are not included in my data banks."

"Okay then, what comes next?" I asked.

"Here." Another file opened, and the image of a Datamon appeared. "This one is a video recording."

"Okay. Run it."

The video began. "First off, according to my readings, the Fire Seal is contained within the egg. I have to congratulate the recovery team, the egg's in perfect condition. Anyway, here's where the really fun part begins! If I can trust the readings, the egg is almost one thousand years old! That puts its creation slightly after the Great War. And best of all, the data in the egg is almost organized. It'll hatch within ten years! However, I don't know what to expect then. Anyway, we've never had experience with incarnated Seals, so I have no idea what the development path will be. We'll have to be careful."

"Adraxis, is there anything about a hatching?" I asked.

The video stopped. "Yes."

"Display it please."

"Of course."

The datamon was back. "It's hatching! I don't know what to expect, but it's getting a little warm in here. I don't know how bad it's going to get, so I'm getting out of here!" The camera was turned to the egg, and a thudding signaled the datamon's retreat.

Within moments, a heat shimmer began in the room.

After a few minutes of that, a computerized voice rang through the area. "Danger. Temperature in the lab exceeding safety parameters. Plus ten…plus twenty…plus thirty...Activating force shielding." A blue bubble appeared around the egg.

"Temperature rising. Plus forty…plus fifty…activating emergency hazard shielding." Several thick sheets of armor rose up from the ground around the pedestal the egg was on, and kept rising until they hit the ceiling.

"Beginning cooling. Exterior heat levels constant at plus fifty. Interior temperature at plus one hundred and rising."

"Heat levels stabilized at plus one hundred fifty. Dropping. One forty. One thirty. One twenty… Deactivating hazard shielding." The sheets of armor sank back into the floor, revealing what was left of the pedestal. Lying on a pile of slag was a small dragon, about two feet long.

"Adraxis. I've seen enough. You can stop now." Aidan said.

"Affirmative." The images stopped and the monitor deactivated.

Aero's POV:

"Adraxis, give me a full readout on the abilities of the Earth Seal. Both combined and separated."

"Processing. Data compiled. Displaying." The monitor that took up most of the front wall of his wall lit up, and several schematics appeared.

"I see. So unless we can get the two halves together, there's no way for the power to be released?"

"Seems that way. So what're you going to do?"

"Hm…Clear all that. Give me the results of the scans of those two. Special focus on personal abilities."

The images flickered out and were replaced by two rotating images of Ryu in his digimon and human forms. Around the images were many lines of text.

"So, unless they fuse again, his powers are restricted to this?"

"Once again, I can't be sure, but from what I've been able to scan, it appears so."

"That's a bit of a setback. He'll have to relearn everything. And fast. Given the most recent readouts, we don't have too long. The last thing I want to do is send them out unprepared."

"You could always-" Adraxis began, but was sharply cut off by Aero.

"NO! I won't use that. There are far too many risks if they use that eechnique. In fact, I will warn them against it."

"Their power will increase dramatically. If it is needed, do you really have a choice?"

"I just have to try. I can't risk them like that. The prophesy already says that bringing the ten together will destroy the world."

"But the world will be renewed in that scenario. The alternative is far worse."

"I know. That's why I'm acting now. Anyway, how goes the scan for the remaining Seals?"

"I've got general data for Water and Ice, somewhat specific data for Wood and Air, and am still searching for Metal. As you well know, Lightning, Light, Dark, Fire and Earth are already accounted for. However, I think that Water has either found a host or has been taken. The few readings that I've been able to get have been scattered all over."

"Keep trying. We have to get them all under control before the prophesy completes itself."

Rune: Yay. Another chapter done. And no reviews on the previous one. How fun. shrug yeah, I know that one was sub-average, even for me. I'm having fun in college. XP Finals are in two weeks, so I probably won't start writing the next chapter until my finals are over. Yeah. Convenient, isn't it? Anyway, like I said before, I put together a little 'History of Tharos' thing. I could try to put that up between now and the end of my finals, if anyone's interested.


	14. Lightning

AN: It may take me a few chapters to get back into my "writing mode," so this and the next couple chapters may be sub-par, even by my (admittedly poor) standards. Sorry.

AN #2: Strange...I could have sworn I updated this some time ago, but the story's still on chapter 13, and this is still located in my document manager. Hm...Sorry everyone!

Ryu's POV:

"That door."

"Thanks Adraxis." I said, laying his hand on the control panel on the wall.

The doors slid open, and a blast of hot, dry air came out.

"Come on Ryu, we don't have forever."

I stepped through the door, and felt my talons immediately sank into hot sand. Scanning the room, I saw that it looked like a wasteland, covered in large boulders and sand.

"Now, before we actually get started, I want to test a little theory of mine. You remember how you became Blazedramon, right?"

"To some extent. Both times I've done it were more reflex than anything though."

"Hmm…Well, give it a try."

"Alright." I blanked his mind and tried to summon up the power that I needed, but I couldn't draw it out. "I can't for some reason. I feel for the energy I used before, but even when I feel it, I can't draw it out like I did before."

"I thought so. You see, since your data structure is radically different from anything else in the digital world, it operates differently from the rest of us. I believe that both evolution and that shift that you used in your previous battle will be impossible for at least the foreseeable future. In addition, the…enhancements that you gained from the Earth Seal won't last much longer. Even if you had both halves, it wouldn't make a difference."

"What?"

"I had Adraxis running scans on you all night. To be honest, I don't know what these results mean. I've never seen anything like them. Then again, I've never seen a human here either."

"What's different?"

"Well, among other things, it's coded differently. I've been running comparative scans and nothing in your current makeup compares to anything in the Digital World.

"So what's that have to do with the rest of it?" I asked. "Why can't I change?"

"I didn't quite say that." Aero replied. "I think the evolution, at least, evolution the way that other digimon do it, is out of the question. However, there are sections of your code that are just as variable as that of any digimon. I think that some of that code may enable you to evolve. However, I'd need to run several tests and have your cooperation before I can be sure."

"Of course. I mean, like this, I'd be completely dependant on Aidan in battle, right? I don't want that."

"Alright. First off, can you create physical representations of the Seals?"

"Physical representations?"

"Like how they were when you first found them. Tap the seal's power, then focus it outside of your body. Try it with the Earth Seal first."

I concentrated, and a faint glow appeared in the air in front of me.

Aero nodded. "Now shape it into a crystal, and separate yourself from the Seal."

I followed his directions, and a minute later, a large blue crystal fell to the sand with a light thud.

"Alright. I'll give this one to Aidan." Aero said as he picked up the crystal. "It'll complete his half. You can keep the rest of them."

"And what about Lightning?" I asked. "You said something about having that one as well."

"So I did. Adraxis, raise the warp gate. Set coordinates to-"

"One step ahead of you. The gate's powered up and ready to go." The compute replied.

"How about raising it?" Aero remarked dryly.

"Already coming up."

A section of wall slid open, revealing a warp gate identical to the one that had led us to the ship in the first place.

"You'll need this as well." Aero passed me another sphere. "It's the code to activate one of the gates on this ship. Lighting shouldn't be a problem. The automatic systems should bring the lights up shortly after you get there."

I nodded and headed for the gate.

"It's simple to find, just head down. If I don't hear back from you in an hour, I'll send someone to check up on you."

I stepped through the gate and emerged in a large, room, littered with machine parts. "This looks like a ship…Where did that thing send me?"

The gate shut down, plunging the room into darkness.

"Well, I could use those lights on now." I grumbled to the darkness.

"One moment." A voice said from the doorway. "The lighting will activate in a minute or two. Ah! Don't shoot!"

The instant that it began speaking, I had dropped into a crouch, with the D-Dragon's gattling cannon pointed toward the speaker.

The lights flickered on, the speaker was revealed to be a large brown robot. "What the hell? Who're you?"

"I am Guardromon XS-371. I am in charge of the security of what is left of this ship."

"I see…"

"AeroVeedramon told me to be expecting someone. Are you Ryu?" It asked.

"Yes."

"Follow me. I'll take you to the Lightning Seal."

I nodded. "Lead on."

The Guardromon turned away from me and headed back down the corridor.

After traveling in silence for about five minutes, I spoke up. "You said you were in charge of this ruin. How long has it been like this?"

"Hm…" The Guardromon thought for a moment. "About fifty years. However, I was deactivated for about forty-eight of those years."

"That's still quite a while. What do you do here?"

"I am in charge of security. This was originally a troop transport. There are almost five hundred Tankmon that are currently deactivated in the cargo bays. In case anything happens, I have more than enough firepower to defend this ship. Anyway, we're here."

It stopped in front of a large set of doors, which slowly slid open, revealing a large room, empty, except for the Seal sitting on a pedestal in the center.

"Just be careful. It seems to have its own defensive system. We took heavy losses recovering the Lightning Seal."

I stopped just outside the doors. "Defense system?" I asked nervously.

"A lightning web that attacks anyone who enters its range."

"Er…" I shot a nervous look toward the Seal. "And you guys want me to get in there with it?"

I walked away from the door and picked up a few of the scattered parts. Turning back toward the door, I threw the double handful of scrap towards the Seal."

There was a brilliant flash, and several…spiderwebs shot out from the Seal, wrapped around the scrap, and then both vanished. "You're kidding, right?"

"It shouldn't hurt you." The Guardromon said. "It seems to be deactivated whenever another Seal is present."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." I said dryly, walking back to the door. "Here goes nothing…" Stepping to the side, I moved my tail into the room.

When nothing happened, I glanced at the Guardromon. "Okay. I'll go get it." _And if the shield on this thing doesn't work, I'm probably going to die…_ I finished silently, with a quick glance at the D-Dragon.

I stepped into the room, and slowly walked toward the Seal.

When I was a few paces away, there was a brilliant flash, and I instantly activated my shield. Through the shield, I saw a large draconic head form over the Seal. "_Hm__…It's that time already…Very well. I give my power to you…Now, I can finally rest..._" There was a second flash, and the Seal went dark.

I took the last few steps, and picked up the Seal with my armored hand. "That's three."

The seal crackled loudly and disintegrated, sending bolts of electricity crackling across my scales. After a few seconds, the electricity died down, and I was left with a strange tingling sensation across my scales.

Aero's POV:

Back on the ship:

_I wonder how long we can stay lucky…By acting now, I gave those two enough of an edge to survive their first encounters, but the odds that word will reach the Council…Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. It's only a matter of time, either way. Hm…I wonder what they're doing right now. How much time do I have before…no…it's best not to think about it too much._ _I'll just have to make do with the time I have._

"Warp gate activation."

I turned toward the gate just as Ryu came through. "So, did you get it?"

"Yeah. But you never said that it could have killed me."

"It wouldn't have." I said evenly. "It wouldn't attack someone with one of the Seals. Anyway, I've got nothing for you to do today. I need a new set of scans and some time for a proper analysis, so if you could go back to your room...'

Ryu nodded. "Alright."

_Well, that's the fifth. The real problems begin now, though. Word will probably reach the Council soon, and even if they don't know it's me, things will become much more difficult. Next time, I'm going to have to send someone to keep an eye on them for me._

AN: It may be some time before my next update. I'm going to try to write at least three or four chapters ahead before posting again, which may take some time. Sorry for the inconvenience.


End file.
